The Oilers are firmly positioned in the “win or bust” scenario for the duration of McDavid’s stay in Edmonton, despite having completely turned around their season following a difficult 3-9-1 start that resulted in the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft. Neither the recent memory nor the previous Oilers teams will be able to erase the real objective or the past disappointments, even with a winning streak record and another MVP.
The Oilers cannot win the Stanley Cup in January or February; instead, they will be evaluated throughout the postseason. The goal is to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights, who are paradoxically the defending Stanley Cup champions, and become the first team in NHL history before the spring.
The Penguins, headed by Mario Lemieux, had just won back-to-back Stanley Cups, an achievement not shared by the Oilers since well before Connor McDavid was even born. Born in 1997, McDavid was seven years removed from Edmonton’s last championship. Pittsburgh broke the record for the longest winning streak, although they were unable to complete a three-peat that season as they were upsetly eliminated by the New York Islanders in seven games. But by then, the majority of the roster had already won the Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Although they have been close, McDavid and his Oilers have not yet advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When McDavid was just nine years old in 2006, the Oilers made their final trip to the Cup Final. Two years ago, Edmonton was on the verge of collapse.
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